Life in the Circus: Anastasia IV and Sarah Schwarz
"Living in a trailer, waking up in a different town everyday - it's such a rich life" A hair-hanger from Poland and a German wire walker on life in the circus
Anastasia IV from Poland joined the circus at eighteen. She performs one of the most risky and unusual acts in the circus: hair-hanging. Anastasia endures pain in her scalp and neck as she swings around the auditorium suspended by a metal ring which is plaited into her hair. She says it's 'the closest you can get to actually flying like a bird'
Sarah Swarz grew up in a circus family in Germany and started performing at the age of ten. She trained as a wire walker, contortionist and acrobat. She and her husband live in a trailer and travel with their Piglet Circus where her pig Max, is the 'boss of the show' - he can use a microphone and is trained to undo her clothes for a striptease routine.
Anastasia IV (r) (credit: Circus of Horrors)
Sarah Schwarz (l) (credit: Jessica Ford)
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Clips
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Training an Animal is Like Training a Husband
Duration: 00:33
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Hanging By My Hair
Duration: 00:39
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